REVIEW PAST TENSES - 2BACHILLERATO

Review past tenses

Let's get started!

PAST SIMPLE

PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

ACTIVITY

1. Past simple

What did you do last summer?

USE

It is used to express completed actions in the past.

Examples:

Last year I went to Munich's Oktoberfest.

I met people from all over the world.

completed actions

STRUCTURE

If the verb is regular ...

VERB + ED

I visited Munich last September.

If the verb is irregular ...

irregular form (2nd column of the list)

I met people from all over the world.

STRUCTURE

In the negative and interrogative form, we use the aux ...

DID

I didn't try the Bratwurst.

Did you have fun? Yes, I did.

Remember than when using DID (or any other auxiliary verb), the verb after it must be into infinitive form!

I didn't drank too much beer.

I didn't drink too much beer.

2. Past COntinuous

What were you doing when the class started?

USE

It is used to express actions in progress in a particular time span in the past.

Example:

Before the class started, I was speaking with my friend about yesterday's party.

action in progress

USE

It is also used to give background information.

Examples:

When I went out of the office, it was raining and the wind was blowing hard.

STRUCTURE

SUBJECT

WAS / WERE

V + ING

Example:

The students

were

speaking.

The wind

was

blowing.

PAST SIMPLE - PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST SIMPLE - PAST SIMPLE

PAST CONTINUOUS - PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST CONTINUOUS - PAST SIMPLE

Two actions which happen one after the other.

Two actions happening at the same time.

One action in progress interrupted by another action.

Example: I knocked on the door and went in.

Example: We were writing while the teacher was explaining.

Example: I was driving home when my car broke down.

LET'S PRACTISE!

I was cooking when I cut my finger.

WHEN

LET'S PRACTISE!

I was running in the forest when I saw a wolf.

WHEN

LET'S PRACTISE!

I was drawing when my pencil broke.

WHEN

LET'S PRACTISE!

We were shopping when someone stole our wallet.

WHEN

3. Past perfect simple

What had you achieved before the beginning of the year?

USE

It is used to express an action that happened before another action in progress in the past.

Example:

Before I went camping, I had never slept in the outside.

first action

USE

After I had done my homework, I went to the cinema with my friends.

1st action

I had done my homework (past perfect)

2nd action

I went to the cinema (past simple)

STRUCTURE

SUBJECT

HAD

PAST PARTICIPLE

Example:

had

done

my homework.

She

hadn't

seen

snow.

TIME CONNECTORS

• WHEN

• AS SOON AS

• BY / BY THE TIME

• AFTER

• BEFORE

• UNTIL

Examples:

By the time I got home, my mum had already cooked dinner.

When we got to the station, the train had left.

4. Past perfect continuous

What had you been doing before the bell rang?

USE

It is used to express actions that were in progress during a past span (they began in a past moment and continued for some time up to another past moment.

Example:

Before visiting Munich I had been studying German for two years.

action in progress (for two years)

STRUCTURE

SUBJECT

HAD

BEEN

V+ING

Example:

had

been

running

for ten years before I ran my first marathon.

She

hadn't

been

sleeping

when the alarm went off.

TIME CONNECTORS

• FOR

• WHEN

• UNTIL

• SINCE

• BEFORE

• ALL (ALL NIGHT, ALL DAY, ALL MORNING, ETC.)

Examples:

When my brother finally arrived, I had been trying to fix my car for hours.

We were exhausted because we had been dancing since the beginning of the party.

Can you identify the highlighted tenses?

I got my first job as a waiter when I was studying at university. I hadn’t worked legally before but I had been helping my aunt with his restaurant every summer since I was a kid so I could say I had some experience.